Federal marshals intensify hunt for fake death suspect

US federal marshals yesterday intensified their search for an investment manager they believe faked a distress call before parachuting from his plane over Alabama and disappearing on a motorbike he had stashed in advance.

Authorities were trying to figure out if it was all an attempt by Marcus Schrenker, 38, to fake his own death after his wife filed for divorce, his companies were targeted by investigators and he lost $500,000 (€378,800) in a court case.

The only sign of life from Schrenker, who lived a high-flying life as an investment manager and an experienced recreational pilot with the nerves to pull off aerial stunts, came in an ominous email he apparently sent to a neighbour, Tom Britt. It said the situation was a misunderstanding and added: “By the time you get this, I’ll be gone.”

The investigation began on Sunday night when Schrenker’s plane went down en route to Destin, Florida, from Anderson, Indiana. Schrenker had reported the windshield imploded and that he was bleeding profusely, officials said.

After he stopped responding to air traffic controllers, military jets tried to intercept the plane. They noticed the door was open and the cockpit was dark, following it until it crashed in a bayou surrounded by homes.

Authorities said he apparently put the single-engine Piper Malibu on autopilot for more than 320km, bailed out over Alabama and left the plane to crash in Florida. Police in Childersburg, Alabama, later said they picked up a man using Schrenker’s driver’s licence and took him to a hotel. The man was wet from the knees down and told officers he’d been in a canoe accident.

By the time police learned of the crash investigation and came back to the hotel, the man was gone. They learned he paid for his room in cash before putting on a black cap and running into nearby woods.

Later, another clue surfaced: Schrenker had apparently parked a red Yamaha motorcycle with packed saddlebags in a storage unit about 11km from Childersburg. By Monday, the motorcycle was gone and his damp clothes were in the unit when investigators got there, said Marty Keely, US marshal for the northern district of Alabama.

He said Schrenker rented the unit on Saturday, paying cash, and told the manager he would be back for his belongings on Monday.

Britt turned the email over to authorities, fearing it was a suicide note.

He quoted Schrenker as saying: “I embarrassed my family for the last time.”

Investigators in Florida said Schrenker faces a host of possible charges if he deliberately abandoned the plane.